Wicked by Gregory Maguire

July 24, 2006
Book suggested by Pat D., and meeting hosted by Lori.

The consensus was that Wicked was more difficult to read than most of the other books we’ve read. In fact, two members were not able to finish it. There was so much going on and the vocabulary was unusual, so it was difficult for many of us to get through it. Those that don’t like fantasies didn’t like it at all, and some of us just thought it was “weird." We agreed that it took time and effort to think through all the symbolism, and only a few of us wanted to put in that effort. A couple of us did like the book, though, because we appreciated the creativity and parallelism, and we enjoyed the depth of the story line. A couple of us thought that the author used the book as a vehicle for his personal political agenda and that his bias on some issues came through too strongly.

Some of us liked the story that portrayed an interesting character that had unbending principles. We talked about the strength that Elphaba demonstrated, and somewhat understood how her challenging personal characteristics and family life may have led to her poor choices.

One very astute member (Kelly) noticed how the map in the beginning of the book could represent the USA and that the different geographic areas could characterize similarly located areas in the United States. Another member told us that she pictured only shades of gray as she read the book and that only a few things in the book made her visualize in color.

If a TV movie were to be made of Wicked, we would cast Shelly Long as Galinda, and Bebe Neuworth (Lilith) as Elphaba.

The book club traveled to NYC to see Wicked on Broadway! What an absolute treat!! Thanks to Pat D. for making all of the ticket and travel arrangements, and to Kelly for making our luncheon reservation at Windows on the Green! I think it's safe to say that everyone enjoyed the play more than the book, if only for the different ending. The music was quite enjoyable too. It really makes you think differently about the Wizard of Oz!

Gregory Maguire's website: http://www.gregorymaguire.com/home.html
Wicked, the Broadway musical, website: http://www.wickedthemusical.com/